


A New Dawn

by MsSirEy



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Again sort of, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/F, I Don't Even Know, Sort Of, Vampire!Kara, Vampires, castles and nobles and an abundance of historical inaccuracy, i call them nightlings for my story, i made up my own shit, nobody asked for this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2019-11-27 15:47:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18196187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsSirEy/pseuds/MsSirEy
Summary: Lena responds to a summons from Castle Nashinil. The summons was light on details, but a new magical infection that is spreading to humans is enough to keep Lena around.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i need to warn you ahead of time, i wrote this during a rare case of "fuck everything else, i'm writing tonight". i went in with no plan and still have no clue. and my "editing" was basically me skimming over it and giving it the ol' "whatever, good enough". enjoy!

Lena always found that whispers echoed more than an openly vocalized slight, especially against the cold stone of castle walls. No one ever confronted her directly. No one had the courage to face her with their thoughts--the regurgitated, unoriginal gossip. And yet, amidst the sea of other whispers, each voice pretended to be bold, played at having an opinion.

Lena watched heads duck and shoulders turn away, all in her periphery. She knew better than to look at the faces. She knew better than to attach people to the actions. She knew it was easier to do her work if she could assume the people she served were free of the judgment. Knowing their opinions stifled her work.

When her escort deviated from the main halls, Lena followed quietly. The chamber she was led to was deep in the belly of the castle, the air stale and still. The escort did not enter the room and instead stepped aside to allow her passage. She unconsciously took stock of his weapons and build, uncomfortable having him at her back without knowing what he could do. The door closed with him still outside and Lena’s eyes turned to scan the interior.

There was only one door—the one at her back. The room was cold and bare. The sconces lit the room well, touched with magic that made her wary, but thankfully not eating away the already dead air. Lena’s eyes were dragged to the center of the room where a sheet conformed to a body on the table.

A single woman stood on the other side of the body, watching Lena with a stony expression. She stood with rigid posture, her hands behind her back. Her attire was psuedo-tactical, her crest displayed simply against the dark armor. It was a design she was familiar with only because her brother had opposed the Knighthood’s methodology. It was a shadow Knighthood, underground enough that common conspiracy never even touched it, but in the right circles, it was the known unknown, understood to be there even while unseen.

“I was under the impression that I was summoned to treat humans,” Lena broke the silence, disinclined to be jerked around.

There was a spark of amusement in the woman’s expression, but then it smoothed out. “We could not divulge everything in the communication we sent.”

Lena cocked a brow. “You have my attention. Don’t waste it.”

The woman nodded and drew a long breath. “You know who we are.” Lena got the sense that the woman was not one for pretenses. She nodded. “We don’t like not having a handle on our mission.” The mission, Lena knew, was to limit the public’s contact with magic and the nightmarish creatures that possessed it.

There was a moment of weighty silence, and Lena’s fingers twitched with antsiness. She didn’t like the idea that this woman was hesitant to continue. “We don’t understand magic.”

It wasn’t what Lena expected to hear. It was too simple. She was missing something, the context that would make the statement make sense, and it put her on edge. “No one really does,” she said, urging to woman to cut to the chase.

The woman nodded her agreement. “More creatures are turning up all over the kingdom—Nightlings, Shifters, Witches, and things we can’t even classify. At first we had thought it was in response to word getting around about the Lord of Light claiming to walk among humanity, but then there are things like this…” Her eyes dropped to the table, the body still obscured by the sheet.

Lena stepped closer, her lip curled at the prospect of seeing the creature beneath. The woman pulled the cloth to one side, revealing the head and torso of a very human male, a hole in his chest where a stake had been driven into his heart. Lena cocked her head and moved closer still. The woman made no move to protest as Lena pulled the man’s lip up, revealing a normal bite structure. His skin was cool, but there was no sign of degradation or rigidity. He was completely still.

“Is he dead?” It was not a question she should have had to ask. It made no sense that she could not answer it herself.

“We believe so.” The woman was stiff. She also didn’t like not knowing, Lena guessed.

“But he is preserved?”

The woman opened the man’s eye for Lena to see the inky veins that reached toward blown pupils. “Something infected him.”

The eye was clear of the cloudiness she expected. Lena waited for it to move, braced for it turn on her, but after minutes of staring, there was no shift. The woman withdrew her hand and the eye closed, releasing Lena to look elsewhere.

“How long has he been here?”

“On this table, three weeks.” Lena felt a chill stiffen her spine. Three weeks should have seen drastic change in his body, either from decay or malnourishment. “Before that, he was stationed here for two years.”

Lena hid her disbelief. “He was one of yours?”

“Not mine. But he was in the Knighthood.”

Lena nodded. The woman was high ranking among the Knighthood, and the area wasn’t their main base of operations. “And you have been here how long?”

“Only a few weeks.”

Lena gathered that the woman’s arrival was prompted by the infection. “How many people have been affected?”

“Only a handful of citizens and him. The others were burned during the raid.”

Lena narrowed her eyes unconsciously. “They clustered?” Was it a sign of retention of intelligence or an instinctual draw?

“So it would seem.” The woman sighed. “It was before my arrival.”

Lena paused. She had so many questions and she didn’t know what avenue would be most efficient. “What happened with him?”

“He was part of the raid.” Lena’s eyes widened. It was contagious? “The others are in quarantine.”

“What is their condition? Have they showed signs of changing?”

“These are questions better directed at the head knight stationed here. She could answer them better.” Lena opened her mouth to ask why the knight was not present, but the woman raised her hand to stop her. “Before we take this farther, I need to know if you are committed to seeing this through.”

Lena stood tall before the woman. She tallied the variables, weighing the unknown against the facts at hand, the risk an outbreak posed against the progress of her work at the manor, the oversight against her own growing curiosity. The woman didn’t push for an answer, but as she pulled the sheet over the body, Lena knew she could not walk away.

“Do you have adequate workspace and equipment?”

The woman smiled smugly, knowing the hook of curiosity had drawn Lena in. “Anything we don’t have can be acquired.”

“We need to agree about the terms of my services here. I have conditions.” The woman nodded. “I am not one of your Knights. I am not reporting to you. I am here to do independent research, and I will share the results, not the methods. I will not be rushed or forced to take actions I deem irresponsible, medically or morally. You and your Knighthood will not compromise my work. You will not share my findings publicly until I determine we have enough of the truth. And my work is mine.”

“I was warned you were a business woman, as much as a scientist.” The woman nodded curtly. “Welcome to Castle Nashinil, Lady Luthor.”

* * *

 

The woman, whose name Lena learned was Lauren Haley, a knight of the new crown, led Lena to the medical wing. There she was left after being directed toward Alex Danvers, the knight in charge of the castle. Alex was young to be the leader of the area’s branch of the Knighthood, but there was a clear deference among both the soldiers under her command and the medical staff that turned to her for direction.

Lena observed silently for a time, as the busy chamber moved around her, tending to the troop that had returned after a mostly successful Nightling nest raid. Alex still wore her chest leathers as she helped tend a soldier’s injured shoulder. Lena was impressed by her ability to multitask, to neatly stitch the shallow wound, while instructing an assistant on how to splint a leg and taking reports on the status of soldiers and supplies.

“Is Miller in yet,” she called out, and heads turned up to look about, with one finally answering in the negative. “Take over here,” she cut the twine and let another take her seat to bandage the shoulder.

Lena’s focus shifted to the entryway as a stretcher was carried in, the man on it clutching his gut, his armor already stripped away. Alex moved toward him, reaching the bed as he was placed down.

“Miller, I need to take a look.” The man’s face lacked color and he looked like he was about to be sick. “Lift your hands.” He nodded shakily and then removed his hands and the blood soaked cloth he had pressed over the wound. Blood coated his skin and Lena could barely see the bruising that was starting to form.

“Hey, now, this is good,” Alex assured as Lena neared. “The metal of your armor folded in, so your ribs might be broken, but the bastard didn’t get his claws deep in you. A few stitches and a couple weeks of bed rest and you’ll be good as new.” Miller’s head fell back against the pillow, relief washing over him.

“Let me help,” Lena offered, pulling up a stool across from Alex.

Alex eyed her, her confusion lasting just a moment before melting away. “Lady Luthor, I presume.”

“Lena.”

A curt nod acknowledged her correction. “I appreciate you stepping in to help,” Alex said before they got down to it.

Lena let Alex do the stitching and put her efforts toward blood retention and sanitation. As Alex had noted, the punctures were shallow. The whole affair took just a matter of minutes and then Lena was washing blood from her hands, the commotion around the room having settled significantly.

“Lena,” Alex found her moments later and gave her a fresh towel to dry her hands with. “I apologize for the state I’m in,” the knight offered.

Lena waved off the comment. “Only a fool would expect you to be stately after a raid.”

Alex nodded absently. “Would you walk with me?”

Lena nodded and they left the wing. With Alex present, there were no whispers as Lena passed people in the halls. People bowed their heads respectfully as they kept a brisk pace. They entered the less trafficked halls of the guest wing, where wards were housed and visitors were put up. Alex led her to a personal suite, which Lena belated realized was Alex’s.

The suite was meticulously organized, but there were hints of personality in the decoration choices. Lena noted ornamental weapons and trophies, but also bright tapestry and a few potted plants with vibrant petals. It seemed an odd mix, but Lena didn’t comment.

“As you may have gathered, the subject of your summons is a sensitive one,” Alex began as she closed the door. “It requires a bit of discretion and isn’t a matter to be discussed in public places.”

Lena refrained from commenting that usually private meetings were held in offices. “You are not the only one who works with matters outside what the public is aware of,” she reminded.

“Fair enough,” Alex grinned. “Um, I would really like to change out of this,” she motioned toward herself, still in her armor, coated in dirt, sweat, and blood. “Do you mind?”

Lena motioned for her to go ahead. Alex smiled shyly and ducked into one of the back rooms.

In the spare moments, Lena inspected the tapestry over the fireplace, wondering at the inspiration behind the rich red sun depicted. It had a eerily realistic quality, despite the shift of color, and she found herself drawn in, her fingers lifting unconsciously to touch its stitching. Part of her expected it to burn her but then she felt silly for even having the thought.

Alex returned with her face hastily wiped clean and her short hair seeming held on place by sheer willpower. Her clothes were fresh, a dark crestless tunic over tight leather pants. It was an unorthodox look, but Lena decided it rather suited her.

“Can I get you something to drink? Wine maybe?”

“Wine would be nice.” Anything to dull the nagging of her mind.

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting you to arrive today,” Alex produced two cups and a simple decanter of wine. Lena accepted her glass with a dismissive wave. “Lady Grant recently departed, so I’ll arrange to have you moved into that suite.”

“I appreciate that,” Lena said, taking a grateful gulp, “but I’m more concerned with the details of this magical infection.”

“Right,” Alex nodded. “Well, the truth of it is that we don’t know much.” It wasn’t what Lena wanted to hear and by the flicker of self-consciousness across Alex’s face, Lena guessed she had let on as much. “I’ll start from the beginning. We were hearing reports of people going missing. Lots of people. That’s not entirely unusual, but then corpses were showing up. Nightlings are stalkers, picky and patient. These were nightly, and sloppy.”

“But you still suspected Nightlings,” Lena pressed.

Alex bit her lip. “The infected exhibit traits similar to Nightlings—strength, speed, toughened skin—and their objective seems to be blood harvesting, so yes, that’s what we assumed. A young Nightling nest.”

Lena sighed. If the characteristics fit, she supposed. “And the infected clustered?”

“They did.” Alex directed them to the sitting area, dropping roughly only her couch. “And when we assumed they were Nightlings, that wasn’t anything we thought twice about. What gave me pause was that they settled in the town, which is almost unheard of for Nightlings in a town this size.”

Lena inspected the contents of her glass, watched it swirl, its current dragging deeper into the glass. “And the raid?”

Alex was quiet for a long spell, but Lena didn’t rush her. “It was supposed to be routine. We easily determined the house they were staying in. Based on all the information, we thought they were infantile.” The thought process was sound. These weren’t excuses, and yet Alex wore her regret openly. “We took all the normal precautions. The raid group was ten strong, with reserves on the perimeter. It happened during the day, when the sun would have burned away the flesh of a Nightling.”

“You weren’t with them.” It wasn’t a guess. Lena knew those who had been on the raid were quarantined.

Alex shook her head. “I got accounts from everyone in the group. They all said the same thing. There were glyphs on all the walls, written in blood. There were candles lit. The cluster had four members and was chanting, or perhaps praying.”

“That sounds more like Witches,” Lena commented and shifted back in her seat, watching the knight mentally crunch numbers she had likely gone over again and again.

“It does. I thought the same, after the raid, but Witches aren’t human. And I reached out to a few Witch experts, and they all say that Witches are way more likely to take people alive for their rituals, and if not, they are after parts—hearts, bones, eyes.” She rolled her head forward, slouching in her seat, her head propped in her free hand. “Nothing was taken from the bodies we found before the raid.”

Lena bit at her lip. Nothing seemed to add up. “Haley said something about a fire.”

Alex sighed and settled back once more. “Everyone reported that the raid was chaotic. Light didn’t slow the infected, and they were fast. The fire was not intended and started in the scuffle. And when it did, the soldiers evacuated. The infected stayed in the building.”

Lena cocked her head. “They stayed?”

“According to multiple soldiers, they seemed to think they wouldn’t burn, and by the time they learned they could, it was too late.”

“Fuck,” Lena whispered. She tried to imagine what could drive someone to think they were safe from the hunger of fire. “Was there something at the site?”

“The entire building burned down. I checked the grounds after, but there was nothing. It had been a small home owned by one of the missing residents. There was not even a cellar.”

“And the bodies?”

“Ash, much like when a Nightling is consumed by its magic.” Another flimsy connection to Nightlings, but not anything close to a definitive answer. “I can take you to the site in the morning. Maybe fresh eyes will see something I haven’t.”

“I would also like the see the other soldiers.” Alex nodded. “How long between the raid and the one soldier being infected?”

“It happened the night of the raid.”

“And you still have the others in quarantine?” The one infection rate they could measure was less than a day, and yet there were humans being kept secluded.

Alex exhaled a soft laugh. “It wasn’t my call.”

“Haley is scared,” Lena guessed.

“We all are,” Alex murmured, with a wry smile. “But the order came directly from the crown.”

Lena paused at that. She didn’t need the crown undermining her work. Alex took a large swig if her wine, frowning into her then empty glass.

“I’ll have all my reports gathered for you to look over,” Alex said and stood. Lena recognized a dismissal when she saw one. “Nothing will happen tonight, so let’s just get you settled, for now.”

“Of course,” Lena rose to join her, leaving her own glass on the table.

Alex led her back to the entrance. “Thank you for coming here,” she said, a weariness weighing down her words.

“I intend to do all I can for humanity,” Lena promised.

Alex eyed her, but the scrutiny seemed directed elsewhere. “I hope it’s not too late.”

As they stepped into the hall, Lena was surprised by another presence. A woman in a simple, perhaps overly modest dress approached. Her step was light and confident, especially considering the white cloth that covered her eyes before tucking up into her neatly pinned up blonde hair.

“Oh, Kara,” Alex greeted. “I’m glad you’re here. This,” she motioned towards Lena and the tilt of the woman’s head followed the gesture with surprising accuracy, “is Lady Lena Luthor.” The woman bowed her head for a moment. When once again cloth covered eyes rose, Lena shifted her weight under the absent gaze. “Could you set her up in a temporary room? Maybe give her a tour? I need to get back to other business.”

“Of course,” Kara chirped, a bubbly energy about her.

“You’re the best,” Alex breathed. Lena watched as they pressed their foreheads together, their familiarity taking her aback. After just a moment, Alex stepped away and began to make her way down the hall. “Lena, I’ll see you at sunrise,” she called over her shoulder before turning the corner and disappearing. Lena just stared at the abruptly empty hall.

“She’s not always the best at social etiquette,” Kara giggled, breaking Lena out of her stupor.

“That’s, um, alright. She seems to have a lot on her plate,” Lena remarked. She suspected Alex was deserving of a bit of leeway.

“More than most, certainly,” Kara agreed, smiling warmly. Lena looked the woman over, noting the open posture that was either confident or trusting, neither of which seemed to fit the scene. “Oh, you’ve just arrived, haven’t you? Have you eaten yet?”

Lena was not immediately inclined to answer, but as the woman waited and her warm smile never wavered, Lena relented. “I haven’t; I was more preoccupied with learning of my business here—”

“Oh, that’s just silly. You’ll always think better with a proper meal,” Kara insisted with a comical wag of her finger. “Come on, I’ll bring you to Noonan. She’ll whip you up something good, and with you there, she’ll even give us extra skillet wraps!” She began to excitedly follow the direction Alex took.

“That’s not-” It was at that moment that Lena’s stomach growled. Kara stopped short and cocked her head, almost as if she knew. “Fine,” Lena caved, “but I have a lot of reading to do.”

Kara shot her a delighted grin and continued on. “I’ll have Eve gather anything Alex wanted you to look over,” Kara said as she led Lena through the halls. Lena was surprised by how hard it was to keep pace as Kara navigated them, always touching the wall a few stones before a turn and never breaking stride. “She’ll have a better sense of which reports are important.”

It took Lena a moment to realize Kara was making a joke. “Oh, yes, thank you.” She shook her head at herself, wishing she wasn’t so clumsy in the face of the woman’s blindness. “So, you and Alex are—”

“Oh!” Kara cut her off with a hearty laugh. “Alex is my sister.”

“Oh,” Lena realized she had misread the relation.

“Her family adopted me when I was little. She’s been looking after me for a long time,” Kara explained.

“That’s nice,” Lena mused, “that you two get along.” As she heard her own words, her throat tightened. She wasn’t the type to invite conversation that strayed toward Lex.

Kara’s step faltered and she paused. After a painful silence dragged on, she finally said, “Everyone would be better off with a sibling like Alex.”

Lena was used to people making jabs at Lex. It was a fact of her existence at that point. But it was rare that anyone acknowledged the impact a sibling could have on one’s life in a way that felt genuinely sympathetic.

Kara might have been the type to trust easily, but Lena was not looking to bear herself. “So, what do you do here?”

Kara dipped her head, acknowledging that they were moving away from the topic of siblings, and resumed their trek. “Until recently I was assisting Lady Grant in her work. Now I’m more of a floating aid, while I try to work on following in Lady Grant’s footsteps.”

“A storyteller then?” Lena wondered at the stories a blind woman could tell, considering all the things she might overhear when ignored.

“A truth seeker, I like to think.” Kara was back to smiling, her words carrying easily through the hall. Lena found it soothing, like it lifted the weight of life off her shoulders for the brief moments she listened.

“And what truths do you seek?” She wondered if it would be something frivolous or trite.

“The true nature of humanity.” Lena swallowed as her heart skipped in her chest. She kept drawing the wrong conclusions about this woman. “Everyone has a story. Every life is precious. And we all have a lot to learn from each other.”

“We are like-minded then,” Lena mused, not initially meaning for it to be said aloud, but committing to it once it was. “I’m interested in hearing your findings.”

“You’re being generous,” Kara giggled and a hint of color touched the her ears.

Lena bit her lip, debating restraining her automatic response. “I’m charitable in many ways, but not with my opinions.”

“And here I thought I was the one who had a way with words,” Kara returned, her fingers playing with the skirt of her dress.

Kara was easy to talk to. There was something compelling about her, something that simmered beneath the surface and fed the luminous spirit she carried herself with. She supplied a needed--and harmless--distraction, Lena convinced herself.

“We’re here,” Kara announced. Lena blinked. She realized she had lost track of their route, but also that they had not passed a single person on the way.

As Kara opened the door before them, the aroma washed over Lena, and the noise and bustle of the kitchen drowned out conversation. Kara led her though the maze of ovens and counters, somehow always choosing the right path to avoid staff. In a secluded room in the back of the kitchen, a woman stood over a number of ranges, toiling over a variety of skillets.

“Noonan! Those wraps are going to burn,” Kara called, her warning mixed with laughter.

“You only come around when I’m about to overcook a batch,” the woman grumbled without looking up.

“Someone’s got to look out for you,” Kara giggled. Lena chuckled quietly, and Kara turned a grin toward her. “Noonan,” she continued, “this is Lady Lena Luthor.”

Noonan straightened hastily, wiping her hands on her apron before turning about. “Warn a woman sooner, you heathen.” Her head dipped for Lena. “Pleasure, Lady.”

“She hasn’t eaten since arriving,” Kara explained.

Noonan’s eyes widened. “You poor dear,” she cooed at Lena. “Let Noonan fix you something.”

Lena watched the woman take samples from each of the skillets and collect them in a single bowl. “Some of the guests like the meat more done, but it’s fresher than the Lady Knight’s mouth, I assure you.” She covered to bowl for travel and thrust it into Lena’s hands. She looked Lena in the eye and pointed her thumb in Kara’s direction. “Don’t let this minx con you out of your wraps,” she sternly advised. “She’ll take you for all you’re worth.”

Kara shushed Noonan dramatically. “Don’t tell her that!”

“Someone’s got to look out for the unsuspecting,” the woman shot back. She handed Kara a towering bowl of food before shooing them both out.

Lena found herself following Kara without question, once more in the quiet halls, the warmth of the bowl sinking into her hands. “We just need to make a quick stop for a key and then I can get you into a room.”

There were more people around the offices and Kara greeted each of them, exchanging quick conversation about what to look forward to for dinner or news of the soldiers, and it was a curious thing to Lena. Her experience was that society shunned people who were different, but no one hesitated to speak with Kara. Lena wondered if Kara’s charm was the deciding factor or if time played a bigger part.

Kara excused herself as she ducked into an office, returning moments later with a key. “I sent Eve to fetch the reports and someone will be along with your bags from the carriage.”

They made their way back to the guest wing and Kara let them into the suite next to Alex’s. “It’s a bit small,” Kara noted as she stepped aside for Lena, “but once the master suite is ready, we’ll move you in there.”

“I’m sure this will suit me just fine,” Lena said, but she could feel the walls on all sides and knew she would prefer more space.

“Well, as I recall, the master has a private study,” Kara explained.

Lena eyed the woman, once again looking over her simple dress. It had a single fabric body with little in the way of detailing. It fit loosely, with a high neck and long sleeves, nothing close to the fashion of court. “You’ve stayed there?”

“Oh, no,” Kara shook her head sharply. “Lady Grant just liked to work there when she needed peace.”

“Ah.” That made more sense. She wondered how often Kara joined the Lady in the suite. Cat was said to have at least one child and there were even rumors that she was courting the former Queen. Would she go for a young woman like Kara?

To avoid dwelling, Lena looked around the space. They were in a sitting room much like Alex’s, but devoid of the personal touch. There was only one door on the far wall, unlike with Alex’s suite, and it dawned on Lena that Kara must live with her sister.

“I hope you enjoy your time here,” Kara said, her hand extending awkwardly, like she wished she could gift the promise of fulfillment. “I mean, I know you’re here on business and--”

“Thank you, Kara,” Lena cut her off, sensing the start of rambling. “I don’t know anyone here, so it’ll be nice to have a friendly face around.”

“Oh!” Kara suddenly put her food on the side table and poked her head out the door in time for Lena’s things to arrive. Lena hadn’t heard the approach until the door was open. “That was quick,” Kara said, taking the luggage from the man. “Thank you!” He gave the bags freely and Lena stepped forward to help, but Kara showed no sign of struggling with the weight. “Where would you like them?”

“Oh, here’s—um, the floor’s fine.”

Kara shrugged and set the bags down. She stood with her hands on her hips, a proudness draped about her, delighted by the accomplishment. “Is there anything else I can do to help you get settled?”

People never offered beyond what was demanded, unless they were hoping for a return, but Kara just seemed happy to help. It made Lena feel like she shouldn’t take advantage and so she shook her head. “No, I--” But she wasn’t ready to be without the warm presence. “Would you eat with me?”

“Happily,” Kara beamed and retrieved her bowl.

“I’m actually really curious to see if you finish all your food,” Lena commented as they shifted toward the couch.

Kara had already managed to fit a whole skillet wrap in her mouth even before being fully seated. She looked up, abashedly swallowing, in the most endearing display of remembering she was in polite company. “I’ve always had a big appetite. Alex says it’s why we never had tutors--all our money went toward food.”

“She said that in jest, I hope,” Lena chuckled as she inspected the contents of her bowl. It wasn’t banquet food like she was used to, but it smelled savory.

“Of course! And Eliza taught her, anyway,” Kara said, taking more conservative bites of her food. “Eliza’s our mother. She practices medicine in a town a day’s ride away.”

Kara was so free with information. It was like she didn’t subscribe to the whims of society, the efforts to steer people away from anyone with the Luthor name.

Lena fished a skillet wrap from the bowl and Kara ceased eating. Lena would have preferred not to be observed, but as she bit into the morsel she was surprised by how delightful the flavor was, despite its simplicity. She sighed, her stomach squeezing needily. Kara’s pleased giggle made it worth being a spectacle.

“Noonan says she’ll give me the recipe when I manage to not burn a cake,” she said as Lena took her second bite. “This might surprise you, but I’m terrible in the kitchen.”

Lena exhaled a laugh. “We can’t all be good at everything.”

“From what I’ve heard, you come as close as anyone can.” Lena stiffened unconsciously. It was the first confirmation that Kara had listened to talk about Lena. Kara’s head tilted, curiously. Her voice was soft as she continued. “Lady Grant thinks you will be a shining example for humanity. She’s usually right.”

Lena was relieved that Kara’s source was at least better informed than most, but she could not shake the feeling that Kara was already lost to other’s influence. “I’ll let you form your own opinion,” she intoned.

“I look forward to getting to know you,” Kara nibbled at her lip, smiling shyly.

Lena picked at her food. “I think I could recreate these,” she thought aloud.

“Wait, really?” Kara leaned closer, her excitement almost vibrating her body. “You could?”

“Uh, I think so,” Lena was suddenly worried about letting Kara down.

“We’re going to have to borrow the kitchen some time to see,” she plotted.

“ ‘Borrow the kitchen’? Is that allowed?” Lena could not help but laugh.

“Oh, you hadn’t heard? You’re sitting next to the baddest... baddie in all of Castle Nashinil.”

“Uh huh,” Lena shook her head. “I have my doubts.”

“Trust me!”

* * *

 

They sat together until Eve arrived with the reports and then Lena was alone with her work, sifting through more questions than answers. When the candles burned low, she finally retired, her head spinning as direction seemed meaningless. Where could she even start? Alex was thorough, asking all the questions she had. She knew she needed to see the site of the raid, but sleep eluded her and the hours dragged on in the dark.

Morning was heavy with fog, in the air and in her head. The only thing that gave her the strength to knock on Alex’s door was the prospect of finding answers. Kara greeted her, her hair loosely thrown up, a blanket wrapped around her like a shawl. “Alex, you’re going to make Lady Luthor wait,” she called out.

“Lena’s fine,” Lena murmured.

Kara smiled warmly at that. “Would you like some tea to wake you up, Lena?”

“Oh,” Lena exhaled, her eyes rolling upward momentarily, “yes, please.”

She sipped at the tea until Alex appeared. The knight was still running her fingers through her short hair in an attempt to get it to cooperate.

“Sorry, I had a late night,” Alex explained breathlessly. She hurriedly grabbed the cup Kara offered and took a large gulp before handing it back. They departed as Kara reminded them to stay safe.

It settled heavy in Lena’s mind. “How dangerous is venturing into town during the day,” Lena asked when they were alone.

“You’re pretty safe with me,” Alex promised with a grin.

Lena returned a tight smile. “I’ve heard that from a lot of people.”

Alex cleared her throat and trained her eyes forward. “We see mostly Nightlings here, so daylight is relatively safe.” After a breath, Alex said, “I’m sorry, I talk more to soldiers than I do with noble folk.”

“Alex, it’s alright,” Lena sighed, recognizing that her exhaustion had thinned her patience. “I’m glad to be working with you.” Alex kept her silence. “While we’re on the topic, I want to be clear; I don’t want guard dog.” She put careful emphasis on dog.

Alex nodded slowly. She seemed to hear the words that went unspoken. “I’m no dog.”

“Good,” Lena said. “Don’t let them put a leash on you.”

“Never.”

The Danvers sisters were rapidly becoming some of her favorite people.

* * *

 

 The town bordered the perimeter wall of the castle, the large outer gate opening to a bustling open market. The fog had cleared by the time Lena and Alex waded into the crowd with two cloaked soldiers at their heels. Alex had advised that Lena wear her own cloak while they were out and Lena was not about to argue.

Their journey took them into the residential area, where their shoulders didn’t brush with others every few paces. It was easier to breathe and Lena felt more comfortable looking around.

The site was unmistakable, an ashy pile of rubble where a home once stood. Lena supposed the town was lucky the house had only been neighbored by a district wall, cutting off the spread of fire. It was a middle class district, with small single family homes.

Lena sighed as she approached the charred, crumbled frame. There was no part of the wall that still stood. She had wanted to see the writing, but she knew Alex would have recorded it if she could have.

Lena walked cautiously through the remains, the ash shifting in the light breeze. She made her way to the center of the home and stooped over the stone table that was situated there. The surface was blackened by smoke before it was covered in ash. She brushed the offending particles away and as Alex had detailed, there was a rough circular patch that remained untouched by the smoke. Something had been there, but where was it now? She glanced about the floor, but there really was almost nothing left of the home.

As she rose to inspect the perimeter, a voice broke through the stillness of the morning. “You must Lena.” It was raspy, forced from a strained throat. “I heard whispers that you would be here. You’ve come to steal what’s ours, like the filthy fucking Luthor you are!”

“Lena,” Alex called, but Lena stared at the man that approached from the other side of the lot. He was shirtless, dried blood trailing from chin to chest. He was heavyset and tall. His teeth were bared and a deep growl rumbled in his chest. In her gut, she knew he was infected, but she wanted to see his eyes. “Lena!”

“Fuck,” she breathed. She took a step back and he matched her. She could hear her heart pound in her ears and she couldn’t rip her eyes from him.

“Run!”

Lena couldn’t spur her legs to move any faster. She couldn’t turn her back to him. And he gained on her, until his growl reverberated in her own chest and she swore she could smell the old blood that coated his front. He was just a handful of feet away and she knew she could not outrun him. Her fingers twitched, wishing she had anything to brandish as a weapon.

A streak of red from above swallowed her vision and Lena thought her time had come. When pain never registered, her eyes focused and she realized she was looking at the back of a figure cloaked in vibrant red.

The man, who towered over the figure, howled and his hand blurred forward. There was a thunderous crack that split the air and Lena belatedly clapped her hands over her ears.

“What the fuck--” She coughed as ash billowed up around her and burned her lungs.

The scene stilled and Lena saw that the figure had caught the man’s fist. He roared and lunged, hurling his weight at the figure. In a sweep of red, the figure flipped backward, letting the man’s momentum carry over them, before easily vaulting and landing on two feet. The man crashed to the ground and skidded through the ash.

While the man was struck with confusion, Lena noticed the figure’s hood had fallen back. Blonde hair billowed freely and blue eyes glowed unnaturally. Eyes aside, it looked otherwise human, and there was no blood to speak of.

The man lifted himself from the ash, but then in a blink, the scene shifted. The cloaked creature had him by the throat as he clawed desperately at unmoving fingers, squirming and choking. Lena thought she could see the creature’s fingers bite into his reddened flesh, but she wondered if it was a trick of the light.

The light… Lena’s eyes flicked up to the sky. The sun was where it had been, just above the distant treeline, undisturbed. The creature that subdued the infected man with a simple squeeze of its hand was not burning in the morning rays. It couldn’t be a Nightling. What was it?

Alex barreled passed Lena, who flinched at the unexpected presence. “We need him!” Alex waved to get the creature’s attention.

Bright eyes turned toward Alex. “He smells of Nightling rot,” the creature rumbled. Lena wondered how Alex could so recklessly approach.

“He speaks,” Alex argued back. “We can get him to talk. He has to know something!”

Lena expected to see a show of superiority from the being, but instead it looked concerned, its brow drawn together and jaw tight. “You can’t contain him.”

“Help us,” Alex hissed.

The creature shot Alex a look. Was it actually considering Alex’s request? “Find me.” Glowing eyes shifted to Lena, piercing deep, holding her frozen. “Alone.”

Lena blinked, and the creature and the man were gone. She stared at the spot where they had just been, her brain reeling, struggling to catch up. Her throat was dry and her voice cracked as she forced her lips apart.

“Alex! What the fuck!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I shit you not, the only thing that is concrete about this story is my "nightling" (vampire) concept. that's it. so, i guess let me know what you think, and we'll see where this goes together.
> 
> tumblr: @mssirey


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, i don't think i've ever had so many drafts for one chapter before. so much for "just get words down and hit post"... anyway, i hope you enjoy!

Lena was not weak. She was learned, and rather skilled, in multiple forms of combat. She was quick witted and keenly observant. And she was smart. She didn’t pick fights she couldn’t win. She didn’t gamble without knowing the rules, and the players, and just how stacked the deck was against her. 

Since the arrival of the creature, Lena’s heels had been rooted in the ash. She held her breath unconsciously, trapped dry air in lungs that burned, and became merely a witness to the exchange. Still and silent, she was a prop on stage as the actors moved around her, stone cut in human form. The infected man had not made her lock up. He was born human and that gave her some foundation for predicting his actions. 

The creature was different. She recognized that it saved her, but she couldn’t be grateful. Its intentions were unclear. Its nature was a mystery. And it made it abundantly clear that underneath its human-esque features was a power without rival. As she stared, unable to blink, into eyes that radiated their own light, she was forced to face death’s inevitability. 

In the wake of its departure, Lena was left to question the futility of her continued existence. Ash showered down around her, as if to punctuate the fate she had to look forward to. 

Alex strode toward her, somehow unaffected by the paralysis that gripped Lena. 

Alex was another mystery, and at that moment, the salvation of Lena’s mind. The knight had some level of confidence that the creature wouldn’t kill her and that was enough to drag Lena out of the spiral of her thoughts. Curiosity kept her afloat, but its current took her.

Lena couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Alex! What the fuck!” 

“Be quiet,” the knight ordered. 

Lena was put off by the harshness. Alex’s eyes darted about as she closed in, checking doors and windows, Lena realized. And then Alex was right in front of her, barely a foot left between them. Lena stiffened. She hated when people breached her space without her invitation, even people she found generally likeable.

Despite the discomfort, Lena stayed her course. “Alex—” she tried again.

“It’s not the time.” 

The abrupt shutdown invited anger into Lena’s already crowded mind. She had long ago made a point never to be ignored. And yet the woman’s eyes were distant, flitting about, her thoughts elsewhere. Lena could not imagine what pulled the knight away, as she studied the silent tabulation behind the blank stare and wished for any clue.

Questions crawled out of the woodwork and ate away at the foundation of Lena’s world. She needed something to keep them at bay and the temptation to use fire was growing faster than she liked. 

Lena’s heart pounded in her ears as she willed her voice to overcome the erratic beat. Questions were not the only thing that threatened to consume her. “No, you need to—“

Alex returned to the present, to Lena, and the cold of her gaze froze Lena’s words on her tongue. 

“He said ‘ours’.” 

The hushed words gave Lena pause, enough to remember venom the infected man had directed at her. “He’s not alone,” she whispered the realization. 

Death wasn’t inevitable; it was imminent. 

Lena swallowed the questions she had yet to ask and ice replaced the fire in her veins. Lena’s teeth went numb and her vision swam as suddenly danger loomed all around her. The cold tide of panic rose around her, until it broke passed her lips and poured down her throat. No matter how much she gasped, she couldn’t relieve the ache in her lungs. 

Lena’s sense of her body retreated inward, until she floated in her head, surrounded by a watery barrier that distorted the cacophony outside. She was distantly aware that Alex was there, somewhere in the noise, but she couldn’t identify her own arm to reach out. Her thoughts were fleeting. Her consciousness slipped and tried to abandon her completely. 

As Lena sank beneath the surface, engulfed by the crushing depths, she recognized those dark waters. She had been there before, her head forced under by the hands she fought hardest to hold. She had learned that the easiest way to avoid drowning was to resist the urge to struggle. Eventually she would reach the rock below and not even the pressure could push her any lower. Stripped down to her barest essence, she would remember herself. 

Lena was a survivor. No matter what poison she was fed, it would never permeate that bed of rock. She found her footing there and, with the will laced into her every muscle, she kicked off toward the light she knew existed above. 

Lena clawed her way back and took what was rightfully hers—her thoughts, her memories, herself. Hands on her shoulders gave her extra purchase to reclaim her body. Alex breathed evenly and Lena used it to ground herself. When she could see once more, Lena recognized the deliberate effort Alex exerted to maintain her calm. 

Alex was patient. She kept her hands on Lena’s shoulders until Lena nodded jerkily. Alex lowered her arms with a deep sigh. She smoothed her tone, kept it low. “We need to move.” 

Gravity settled heavy on Lena once more, as her body continued to fight her anxiety, and she closed her eyes for a breath. When she looked again, Alex’s eyes flicked downward and Lena followed her gaze. Alex had the pommel of a knife extended toward her. The blade was more than just the offer of a weapon; it was a show of trust and it was a promise that Alex would have her back. 

Lena knew why people listened to Alex. The knight was decisive and steady. Following her direction felt like a safe bet for survival. But she also found a way to offer exactly what Lena needed in that moment. 

As Lena’s fingers twisted around the handle of the blade, Alex nodded with a small smile of assurance. When Lena nodded back, surer than before, Alex was on the move. Lena didn’t follow right away. She absently tested the feel of the knife in her hand, while she weighed her options. 

She could get a carriage to take her back to the manor. She could continue her research and invent medical practices that would change lives. If she stayed, she wasn’t just risking her life—she was risking all the advancements she could make in a lifetime of safety.

But then, the creature could open up new worlds of information. The creature could expedite her efforts. She could branch into sciences that she could have only dreamed of. Could she really turn down the chance to know its secrets?

“Fuck,” Lena groaned. She tucked her hand under her cloak before she moved to catch up with Alex. 

“—need to get ahead of this,” Alex explained to the one soldier that remained with them.

“No one’s seen her face before,” the soldier breathed with an excited air. “Jensen’s going to be pissed he missed—”

“Vasquez, I need you to focus,” Alex talked over the soldier, her calm already strained. “We need to be ahead of this story. Talk to Olsen and Dox. We need the information to spread properly.”

The soldier looked skeptical. “There’re people all about,” she motioned with a tilt of her head. It was true. Without turning, Lena could count multiple people whose attention was clearly drawn towards them. 

“Then you better work fast,” Alex grumbled. “Meet up with Jensen when he’s back and tighten patrols. There are more infected.” And with that Alex stalked away. 

“Where are you going,” the soldier called after her. 

Lena wondered the same. She watched the knight’s purposeful stride, complete with squared shoulders and clenched fists. “Get a move on, Vasquez,” was all Alex said. 

The soldier exhaled sharply at the dismissal, but then trotted off. Lena was left to follow after Alex. When she caught up, she matched her step to Alex’s and kept them shoulder to shoulder. 

“Keep your hood up,” Alex instructed gruffly just before they slipped into the crowded main street. They barely slowed as they waded through the sea of people. 

Every face that passed was a blur. Lena felt a prickle along her spine, a ceaseless warning bell in her head, and the echoing knowledge that she would never see an attacking coming. It suffocated her as much as the press of bodies. Every voice was louder than the last. 

It was like the walk to her mother’s grave, surrounded by strangers, walking side by side with someone she’d just met, knowing that with each step she left her old life behind. If she lived through the day, she would not be the same person. 

Lena wrapped herself in a cloak of numbness. She let the knife in her hand tether her and let the world fall away. 

Her own shadow led her, dancing among the feet of the crowd, as the sun climbed higher in the sky. She hardly needed to see Alex to know where the knight would turn them. She could feel the fierce determination that radiated off of her. But each time she did spare a glance, she noticed the cracks that chipped away at Alex’s mask—the way she bit her lip, the way her thumb rubbed at the side of her finger, the way her head stopped its swivel to scan the crowd. 

When they passed back through the gate that led to the castle grounds, Lena finally realized where they were headed. She grabbed Alex’s shoulder to stop her. “I will not sit in the castle while you go off to—”

Alex grabbed Lena’s wrist and held tight. “You’ll do just that.” There was a threat that simmered beneath the slow spoken words. It took Lena aback after how careful Alex had been just minutes before.

Alex continued toward the castle without releasing her. Lena resisted the pull and twisted in Alex’s grip. “I’m not one of your soldiers to be ordered about,” she reminded as she dug in her heels.

Alex turned on her and Lena’s balance teetered. “You’re right; you’re not a soldier. And you need to stay safe.”

“Oh, don’t pull that bullshit with me,” Lena warned in a low tone when she regained her footing and yanked again. Her free arm itched to show Alex what she could do with the knife. 

Alex’s grip was unrelenting. “I can’t bring you with me,” she said with forced roughness. 

“Why not,” Lena pressed. 

The knight shook her head, her jaw tight. Without elaboration, Lena had nothing to argue against and she sensed Alex was prepared to dodge her questions. Lena knew the game well and she would not lose. 

“If you meet the creature without me, I’ll be gone before you get back. I will not work with someone who won’t work with me.” 

“That’s—” Alex froze. Her eyes searched Lena’s and her hold loosened enough for Lena to pull free. For all of Alex’s knightly courage, there was a scientist that knew the odds. She needed Lena’s expertise to combat the infection. 

Lena raised a brow, dared the knight to call her bluff. “Do you want my help or not?”

Lena expected the decision to be easy at that point, but Alex’s silence persisted. They stared each other down, and it wasn’t until Alex blinked and dropped her gaze that Lena had a sense of just how much the knight wanted to refuse her. After being made to wait so long, Lena wasn’t sure the concession would come.

“Fine.” The word was forced through clenched teeth. 

Lena smiled primly, gratified by the knowledge that she was worth more than the secrets Alex guarded, but the unknown elements that stilled Alex’s tongue put her on edge. “Good.”

Alex’s eyelids fluttered shut for a moment of exhausted resignation. With a heavy sigh, she started off toward the castle once more. 

“Where’re we going,” Lena demanded to know. 

“To the likely meeting point,” Alex intoned. Lena could hardly hear Alex as the knight marched ahead of her. 

“At the castle?” It wouldn’t be where she expected to find the creature.

“Can you just trust me?” 

Lena couldn’t, as much as part of her wanted to. “Can you just loop me in?” 

Alex sighed, but after a few paces slowed so that they walked together once more. She ducked her head closer to Lena’s. “There’s a spot in the woods that we can reach using a tunnel that leads out of the castle.”

“What makes you think the creature will go there?”

Again Alex was quiet. Lena couldn’t decipher the tense twitch of Alex’s jaw. “I’ve been there with her before.”

The cogs in Lena’s mind halted, but Alex’s hand at her back spurred her feet to keep moving with only the barest stutter. “You’ve met with it,” she hissed the question. 

Alex avoided her eye. “Not like this.” 

Lena’s patience thinned with each guarded response. “Like what?” And then the gates were open. “What do you know? What is it? What does it want?” 

Alex shot her a look, then glanced quickly about. There were a few others that walked the short road to the castle. “Just wait until we’re alone.”

Lena begrudgingly allowed them to walk in silence. She fidgeted with the knife under her cloak to occupy herself until they made it into the less trafficked lower halls of the castle. 

“The tunnel is not a public one,” Alex explained as they entered a storage pantry. 

Lena watched as Alex walked up to a bare patch of wall toward the back and moved a barrel out of the way. From when Lena stood, there was no crack in the stone, and yet Alex counted hand lengths in from the nearest shelf and then gave a heaving shove. A giant slab swiveled on a center axis—half receded into the wall, while half rotated outward.

“It’s illusion magic,” Alex motioned to the gaping hole in the wall. “It must have been installed when the castle was first built.”

Lena inspected the clean cut of the stone and marveled at the care taken to allow such a wall to be built, let alone to mask the sound of the stone moving. “How did you find it?”

“She found it.” Alex motioned with her head for Lena to follow and moved into the tunnel. “She showed me the other end and I followed it into the castle.” Alex trusted the creature enough to follow a magically hidden tunnel it showed her?

Lena stepped into the dimly lit tunnel and when she was out of the way, Alex shoved the slab back into place. The seam melted away before her eyes. 

“So,” Lena cleared her throat. “We’re as alone as we can be.”

Alex nodded wearily. She still made Lena wait as she worried her lip. “You know the ‘Lord of Light’?” As much as it was phrased as a question, it wasn’t one. They both knew Lex’s history with the so-called Lord of Light. “She’s like him.”

Lena tried to steady her heart as it jumped in her chest, spurred by the new knowledge. Somehow it felt like a betrayal. The world had seen fit to have one of those creatures destroy the only family she had, but that wasn’t enough. There was another one. Would this one ruin her like the Lord of Light had done to Lex? 

And there was also Alex, who guarded the creature. Most people tried to either exploit Lena or tear her down. So naturally someone who didn’t seem likely to do either would sympathize with a creature of magic. She found it almost laughable, the universe’s cruel irony. 

Lena collected her wits and organized her questions. She needed a methodical approach to keep her thoughts in line. Alex waited with crossed arms. 

“What does it want?”

Alex exhaled a clipped laugh. “Anonymity.” She said it like it was the plainest explanation. “The chance to live among humans, as a human.” Alex turned away with a shake of her head and started down the long tunnel. 

The dismissiveness got under Lena’s skin. “But it’s not human,” Lena countered and stalked after the knight. “It doesn’t get to have the power it does and pretend it’s one of us.”

“Those are words I would expect from your brother,” came Alex’s sour response.

“Do not—” Lena stopped herself with a careful breath. She refused to be baited. “The difference in power between it and us means we would never be equals. It could leverage its power in any number of ways—to kill, steal, manipulate... conquer.”

Alex scoffed. “She hasn’t done any of that!”

Surely Alex wasn’t that naive. “You can’t know that!” Lena quickened her pace. She needed to reach Alex. “You can never know—never trust that it will respect any boundary.”

Alex halted abruptly and Lena barely stopped in time to not plow into her. She stood in confused silence, watched as Alex clenched her fists at her sides and the muscles in her neck became taut with the effort to remain still, only to cause her head to jerk minutely. 

“How are you any different?”

Lena stared at the knight’s back as hot anger coiled in her chest. “Excuse me?” Part of her thought there was a chance she had misheard. It was wishful thinking, to hope that someone would not weaponize her name against her or compare her to monsters. 

Alex exhaled sharply, her back still turned. “You have wealth I can’t even conceptualize.”

“That’s hardly—”

Alex’s voice rose over Lena’s and Lena felt the warmth of Alex’s fire on her face. “You have an education that most couldn’t dream of. You have a house you belong to. You own land.” Alex took a steadying breath, while Lena couldn’t find the breath to stop her. She did the math ahead of Alex putting words to it. “We both know laws of the kingdom don’t apply to you the same way. You could have me put in the ground, if you wanted. And you could probably make a grab for the throne. That,” Alex choked on the overcharged words and Lena felt a knot rise in her own throat,” is power. We—you and I—we are not equals.” 

Lena’s chest was tight as her heart hammered roughly against her ribs. She knew the conclusion of the argument Alex laid out, but she was not ready to hear it. Ridicule was a familiar thing, a burden of her birth, but usually she could remind herself that it was baseless, regurgitated nonsense that had risen from gossip or bias. But Alex spoke her language, and followed her rules, and knew exactly how to tear her down. 

“So tell me, why should I trust you over her?”

Lena knew to always keep her spine straight, to stand tall, to meet any question of her character with a firm stance. Yet the question cut deep. The blade followed scars of her own making, where her armor was weakened by her own probing. It got between her ribs and sank dangerously close to her heart. 

Could she be trusted? 

“I’m human,” she whispered. 

It was the only defense she could muster, one that, when said aloud, she recognized was an echo of her brother’s. Alex had reframed her fear, wiped away the tarnish of neglect, until Lena stared at her own reflection. To hold the stance that great power couldn’t be trusted, she would have to believe she could not be trusted. And in that moment, she could only conclude it was true, that she was what the whispers claimed. 

After a long silence, Alex looked back at her. Lena was ready to be met with judgment, the same cold disregard for her individuality that she had seen on every face she could remember. She braced herself for it, turned her chin up, set her jaw. She would not blink. 

There was a soft understanding in Alex’s eyes and sadness etched into the shadows of her face. “You know better than most what a human can do with your trust.” Lena saw Alex’s regret before the knight’s gaze dropped to her boots. Alex licked her lips and shifted her weight, and Lena felt the seconds eat away at her. She guarded her heart with the last of her anesthetic reserves. 

The knight stepped toward her, but then stopped, her hand half extended, more hesitant than Lena had ever seen her. “All I’m asking is that you give her a chance,” there was a flicker of hope in her eyes, one that Lena could not foster, “like I’m giving you.” 

When Lena didn’t respond and the silence stretched on too long, Alex dropped her arm back to her side. She turned away, but not before Lena caught the self-chastising frown. 

Alex continued down the tunnel. The scrape of her boots on stone echoed in Lena’s skull. Lena couldn’t follow immediately. She was too numb. 

Was Alex really giving her a chance? That seemed too much to hope for. 

Lena’s legs were wooden as she started forward. She kept her distance as she let the mission for information take her reins and guide her heavy feet. She could achieve her goal and recollect herself after. 

Lena angled her thoughts toward her surroundings. The fixtures that magically created dim light had been placed strategically to maximize coverage, but part way down the corridor they stopped. As the light behind them faded, she questioned whether it was safe to continue, but Alex was undeterred. There was a stretch of near darkness and she followed the sound of Alex’s boots more than the fuzzy silhouette of the knight. 

As she was about to suggest they turn around, they entered a part where the walls were littered with little crystals that radiated a faint green light. Lena reached for the wall, her hand bathed in pale green. 

“Don’t touch the walls,” Alex warned, suddenly much closer than Lena recalled. 

Lena pulled her hand away. “What is it?” 

Alex’s brow pulled tight for a brief second. “You don’t recognize it?”

Lena had a recollection of Lex raving about a green stone during the years he was consumed with the Lord of Light. “This’s the poison for the creatures,” she whispered, not wanting to shatter the fragile security that budded in her chest. It was a defense built straight into the walls. The creature couldn’t even enter the tunnel.

“For us, as well, if we are exposed for too long,” Alex cautioned. She motioned for them to walk once more. Alex kept to the center of the tunnel, as far from the walls as she could, and unthinkingly Lena followed suit. 

The green glow stretched out before them. There was so much of it. “Why haven’t you gathered it?”

“It’s, um, better left here.” 

“So it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands,” Lena guessed, wryly, and then shook her head at herself, grateful Alex was faced away from her. 

Alex shrugged. “It’s also in short supply, these days.” She sighed. “And who knows how it could get wasted, only for us to need it later.”

It seemed a poor excuse to Lena, but she didn’t push it further. She could address it another day. 

“Why’d the creature show you this tunnel?” It didn’t make sense that the creature would willingly hand over a source of its weakness. 

Alex turned a small smile toward her. “I guess she trusts me.”

Lena rolled her eyes. “And what makes you so special?”

After another shrug, Alex said, “I once chased away a dog that was barking at her.” Lena couldn’t image the scene. A dog was no threat to the creature, surely. “It was many years ago,” Alex supplied before Lena had to ask. 

Curiosity began to burn the numbness away. Alex had known the creature for years. “Do they age?”

Alex chuckled softly. “They do.”

Lena felt the gnaw of her stomach as she craved more answers. “Was the creature adolescent at the time? Did it exhibit magical abilities in its youth?” Another question wriggled in the back of her mind. Had it imprinted on Alex? She couldn’t voice it, couldn’t disturb the soft ground they threaded.

Alex aimed her head forward to avoid Lena’s prying gaze. “You should just ask her.”

Lena bit her lip and felt blood just below the raw surface, so close to spilling, ready to prove the division between her and the creature. “I don’t think it will talk to me. Not like that,” she reasoned. The likelihood of her getting the answers from the creature itself had to be infinitesimal.

“I think that’s the crux of your issue.” Lena squinted, unsure what she had missed. “You’ve got all these presumptions.” 

Lena frowned. Alex might not have intended it, but she forced Lena to confront her hypocrisy—so deeply rooted, so essential to her survival. She had held fast to the belief that it was a waste of her energy to jump through the hoops required to convince closed-minded people of her character. At the first hint that someone doubted her without reason, she enforced a strict distance. It was a defense she made frequent use of. It allowed her to focus on herself, kept her true to herself. Without it, she might not be alive. 

And yet she justified her own assumptions—her fear granted them legitimacy—her ignorance supported fallacy and eroded the logical steps until all that was left was a slippery slope to the worst conclusions. 

The walls shifted back to purely stone, and as Lena followed Alex into the dark and they left the safety of the poison behind, she felt a natural calm—one that wasn’t achieved by the systematic manipulation of her body’s responses. It was as cathartic as it was unfamiliar—a thick, clinging warmth, yet not unpleasant. 

“We’re almost there,” Alex confirmed Lena’s suspicion about the corridor’s pattern. They walked the last leg in silence, but Lena’s mind was anything but quiet. Alex made her question the paradigm she had established. 

At the end of the tunnel, there was another illusioned slab. Before Alex shoved it outward, she paused to look to Lena. “If I ask you to just stay here, will you?”

Lena slowly shook her head. If Alex wanted her to give the creature a chance, she needed to be there. 

Alex nodded with pursed lips. “Then let me do the talking,” the knight bartered. Lena gave her a non-committal shrug and Alex exhaled a long sigh. “This’ll be the death of me,” she grumbled. 

The tunnel opened into a large clearing of barren soil. A shallow cliff rose above them and as they moved away from the tunnel, Lena could just make out the tops of the closest towers of the castle over the ridge of the cliff. The woods formed a distant, defined border and Lena noted how nothing grew between the cliff and the outer castle wall. 

At the very edge of the trees, the creature stood waiting. The infected man was on his knees beside it—his head turned down and his shoulders sagged forward. Lena saw no restraints, but as they approached, he didn’t move beyond the slow shift of his chest with each breath. 

The creature had removed its cloak and its bare, muscled arms were crossed over a form-fitting tunic of brilliant blue. As they got closer, the boldly embroidered red crest became visible, forearms not enough to obscure the swooping form accented in gold. 

It was unmistakable. It was the same character she found scribbled throughout Lex’s research logs even before his vendetta. When she had inherited the manor, she had found it covering the walls of the study, carved into every surface. It haunted her, seared into the backs of her eyelids, so she could never truly look away. It was symbolic, a reminder of Lex’s obsession and ultimately his downfall. 

The creature truly was related to the Lord of Light. 

“I told you to come alone,” the creature called as its fingers tapped against its arm. 

Lena refused to let her feet stop until Alex pulled short a few paces away from the creature—a comfortable distance if they had all been human. “You try to convince Lena Luthor to stay behind,” came Alex’s retort, and Lena stiffened at being used to antagonize the creature. 

The creature scowled and the pale glow of its eyes fixated on Lena. “You took her through the tunnel.” Lena shifted her feet unconsciously. She understood the threat her knowledge posed and the target it placed on her back. “And you gave her a knife?” Lena swallowed as her throat went dry. The knife shouldn’t have been visible through her cloak. She squeezed the handle tighter, despite how heavy it felt with uselessness, and diverted her gaze toward Alex. 

“You didn’t leave me much choice,” Alex huffed. All of her anxious movements were exaggerated as she closed herself off, arms crossed tight over her chest, a near-perfect mirror of the creature. 

“Don’t put this on me,” the creature huffed in indignation. 

“You showed yourself,” Alex snapped back without a shred of composure, her eyes wide, her neck straining as her anxiety poured out. But just as the outburst came, she retracted it, drew it inward, caged it with regret. After a long, shaky breath, she said, “you can’t take that back.” She cushioned her words the same way she had for Lena in the tunnel. 

For Lena, it was jarring. Alex extended empathy freely. It watered down what she offered Lena, revealed it to be a drink she handed out to anyone. Was it bound to sour?

No, those were lines of thought founded on the wrong assumptions. She had automatically substituted her own values into the equation—based the solution on her own biases—and thus cheapened Alex’s actions. Alex didn’t think of the creature the way she did.

Lena looked to it, watched as it closed its eyes and its jaw tensed and untensed. Its brow twitched and its lips looked like they were holding back a torrent of thoughts. 

After a dragging silence that made Lena itch, it finally spoke. “What should I have done?” The creature’s voice was small, a plea crudely stitched into the syllables. “I couldn’t just watch.” Lena’s every instinct told her it was a ruse, but still she felt the tug of the creature’s words, the urge to forgive its crimes. “And it felt so good to help. I—I want to help.”

“I know.” Alex whispered the words, but in the stillness of the empty air, they expanded to fill the space. “I know,” she repeated more firmly. The creature ducked its head and breathed deep the relief granted by Alex’s words. “It’ll be okay,” the knight promised. 

A hollow laugh erupted from the infected man. “You couldn’t be more wrong,” he rasped and his shoulders shook from the callous mirth. “You’ve aligned yourself with monsters, lady knight.”

“You can fuck off with your opinions,” Alex said, her voice thick with smoke from the fire that blazed behind her eyes. 

The man grinned as he turned his head up to meet her gaze. “It’s not opinion. They’ll exploit you, bleed you of all you have, and then feast on your remains.”

“Says the man who reeks of Nightling blood magic,” the creature retorted as it postured beside him. 

“Your magic doesn’t smell so different,” he bit back without sparing a glance. “You act like a God, but you are just as blind to the truth.”

“So tell us,” Lena cut in with practiced cadence, “by what means do you have magic?” 

“I ain’t telling you shit.” Lena rolled her eyes. His arrogance was insufferable and beneath it she sensed his itch to boast, to spill his secrets down his front like the blood he wore proudly. 

“We’ve never had a live subject before,” Alex reminded Lena.

“Alex!” the creature hissed while wide eyes questioned the knight’s intention. 

“What? That blood isn’t his,” Alex gestured toward the long dry blood that flaked from his skin. “He needs to answer for it.”

“Torture isn’t really what I was going for,” the creature insisted.

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose. “We can examine him.” The creature blinked as understanding dawned, then it coughed to cover its hesitancy. It perched its fists on its hips with a nod of approval. Alex shook her head and stepped forward under the creature’s watchful eye.

A low growl rumbled in the man’s chest. “Touch me and I’ll break every bone in your hand,” he snapped. 

The light of the creature’s eyes flared and Lena squinted to shield herself from the glare. “You will never get the chance,” it promised him. The authentic threat sent a shiver up Lena’s spine. It conflicted with the display of awkwardness she had just witnessed from the creature. 

Lena motioned toward the creature with a jut of her chin. “Lift his lip,” she instructed. The corpse in the castle didn’t have fangs, but she wanted to confirm if that was consistent for infected humans. “Let me see his teeth.”

Bright eyes turned on Lena and she automatically froze, the air caught in her lungs. The light receded, back to a dim glow, and she was free to breathe once more. The creature shook its head. “Nightling fangs take time to become pronounced,” it explained. “He’s too new to blood magic to have fangs.”

Lena cocked her head. Nothing had been written about Nightling development, that she was aware of. She had assumed they were born with fangs. “Humor me?”

The creature bit its lip and nodded. “Will you lift your lip,” it asked the man. He spit in the dirt at Lena’s feet. “Please,” the creature tried.

The man cast a scowl up at the creature. “If you think I’ll do anything for filthy bi—”

Faster than Lena could track, the creature caught a finger in his cheek, hooked him like a fish. After a blink, Lena’s brain caught up and registered the gape of the man’s mouth around the digit and the abrupt death of his words. 

“Your degradations are unwelcome,” the creature warned. It snaked its finger up between teeth and lip, followed the retreat of his head, until his upper teeth were exposed for Lena and Alex. 

There was nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, Lena was just surprised by his care for hygiene, his gums notably healthy and his teeth absent of coloring. Lena exchanged a glance with Alex, who shrugged, and then motioned for the creature to release him. 

“As I said,” the creature withdrew its hand and the man jerked away, “no fangs.”

“So, what, then,” Lena asked. The only physical indicator that the infection related to Nightlings was the dark tendrils that bled through the whites of infected eyes. “What else does your nose tell you about this infection?” 

The man exhaled a sardonic laugh. “It’s not a sickness—it’s power.” Alex’s exaggerated eye-roll and the creature’s small snort suggested Lena wasn’t the only one to find the man misguided by what his symptoms promised. 

The creature hid its amusement behind a hand until it gave way to somberness. It addressed the man directly, ignored his attempts to disregard reason. “If this is Nightling in origin, it’ll eat away at your mind before it warps your body,” it warned. Lena felt a tickle at the base of her skull, followed by a cold fever that crawled down her spine. In another setting, she would have jumped at that and pressed the creature further. “You need to tell us about this magic.”

The man’s knees shifted in the dirt and his eyes shifted between each of their faces. He looked about to crack, but then his resolve returned. “You’re lying.”

“Lying? No,” the creature said, eyes turned up to the sky. “The magic’s call will start like a tune you can’t stop thinking about, but by the time you begin to feel it in your throat, you won’t be able to fight it. And when it gets to be too much, you will kill to relieve the thirst and you won’t even see the face of your victim. They could be anyone—your neighbor, your friend, your lover... even your child.”

The air was thick, too dense for human words to cut through. “Each time you kill, you will forget the cost. The magic will take up more space in your chest. It’ll demand more from you. You’ll be a slave to it long before you see the damage it does.” Lena could hear her blood in her ears, a butchered version of the magic’s song. “I pray to Rao above that I’m wrong,” the creature’s gaze left the sun and returned to the dirt below, “but only time will tell.” 

Lena saw her horror reflected in the man’s wide, unfocused eyes. “That’s not what she said would happen,” he breathed.

“Who,” the creature pressed. “Who did this to you?”

“I don’t know her name,” the man whimpered.

“Describe her.”

The man’s head fell forward and hung limply. “She always wore a full dark cloak. I never saw her face.”

The creature clicked its tongue in frustration. “How’d she do it?”

The man licked his lips, his breath shallow. “She opened her vein into a cup, mixed it with some sort of dark powder, and offered it to us.” 

The creature’s lip drew up in disgust and it stalked a few strides away. It drew shaky fingers through its long hair and paced back to them. 

“Hey, this’s good. This is a start,” Alex pointed out. “We just have to hunt down this one Nightling.”

“This Nightling—whoever she is—she knows old magic, specifically the magic that created Nightlings in the first place,” the creature shook its head, tried to keep the panic from finding purchase. “Alex, she’s trying to spread that disease to humans.”

“I’ll stop her,” Alex promised, her shoulders set and solid, her eyes trained and fierce. “You won’t lose us.” Lena watched the creature press its forehead to Alex’s and it’s breathing slowed. 

“What about me,” the man asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well now, the ball's a'rolling, lol
> 
> tumblr: @mssirey


End file.
